This invention pertains to the art of newspaper vending machines, and in particular to the art of vending machines which dispense one newspaper at a time.
Single copy newspaper dispensing machines have been known in the prior art for many years, and efforts to develop a practical single copy newspaper dispensing machine have been almost continuous.
However, there is not known to the applicant a single machine in commercial use in the United States or in any foreign country which successfully dispenses single copies of newspapers.
The newspaper dispensing machine almost universally used in the United States is an honor system type cabinet in which newspapers are stored, and to which the customer has full access upon insertion of the proper number of coins in the coin box. This mechanism comprises a cabinet of sufficient size to store a stack of newspapers, a coin operated latch release mechanism and a newspaper access door normally mounted on the cabinet to swing outwardly and downwardly, exposing the entire stack of papers to the purchaser. In theory, the purchaser is supposed to take one newspaper and then permit the door to swing closed and relock in preparation for the next customer who will then also insert the proper coins. Unfortunately, it has been the experience of the newspaper publishing industry that the honor system is for the most part honored in the breach.
Loss of income due to theft of newspapers from honor type newspaper dispensers varies from locality to locality, but even the theft of a single newspaper per box in a large metropolitain area, such as New York City, having 20,000 honor system type dispensers, could entail a loss of as much as $5,000.00 per day of income. Actually, average losses per dispenser are known to run at about 25% to 30% of the newspapers sold in dispensers. Thus, the average daily loss in New York City is closer to $40,000.00 per day or more. Nor is New York City an exceptional situation. This same rate of loss is experienced in most metropolitain areas throughout the United States.
There has been, therefore, a long felt need for a single copy dispensing device which will cut down losses presently being suffered in honor system type newspaper vending machines. However, it is believed there are at present approximately five-hundred thousand units currently in use throughout the United States. Accordingly, means for retro-fitting present dispensing cabinets with a reliable single copy newspaper dispenser module at considerably less cost than replacing the entire machine, would be additionally attractive to the newspaper industry.